What is prostrate cancer?
It is a type of cancer that affects the prostrate gland. It is a gland that is part of the male reproductive system. The cancerous cells can spread from this gland to other parts of the body like lymph nodes and bones. This type if cancer can cause problems with having sexual intercourse, erectile dysfunction, difficulty during urination and lot of pain. It can be caused by a number of factors including genetics, diet and other causes.
Does smoking cause prostrate cancer?
Many researches through the years have found that there may be a link between prostrate cancer and smoking. Although smoking may not cause this cancer except in some few cases, it can make the condition a lot worse. Not just this, smoking can also magnify the side effects of cancer treatment like diarrhea and other gastrointestinal disorders.
When an individual affected by this cancer smokes, it created a very fertile environment for the cancerous cells to multiply and spread rapidly to other parts of the body. This it does through a lot of different methods. Smoking can affect genes and cause mutations. It is a source of cadmium which is a metal that reacts with zinc in the gland and causes cancer. This metal also comes in the way of DNA repair, which further accelerates the spread of cancer cells in the body.
Smoking can create an imbalance in the hormone levels of the body. It increases the levels of the hormone androgen, which is a natural steroid. This hormone acts as a catalyst for the growth and spread of malignant cancer cells.
The risk of this type of cancer grows as men age and are most susceptible to it in their fifties. Due to this, smoking continuously greatly increases this risk with progress in age. The increase in risk depends on the amount of cigarettes smoked on a daily basis and the time duration of smoking. The greater the amount and/or the time duration of the addiction, greater is the increase in the risk of prostrate cancer.
This is why it is best to not get into the habit of smoking. But if you are already into this habit, it is best to quit as soon as possible.
